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Chemainus family treks to Vancouver for Canucks game

Corey and Tyler Postle of Chemainus got to see a recent Vancouver Canucks game - and got autographed Ryan Kesler jerseys - after their dad Barry won a Team Power Smart Contest.

Blaine Kyllo
For bchydro.com

Barry Postle has been a Vancouver Canucks fan for years, but living in Chemainus makes it difficult to see NHL games in person.

Being a Team Power Smart member, however, has its privileges. As September's winner of the Vancouver Canucks 40th Anniversary Game Night contest, Barry won four tickets to see the Canucks take on the Florida Panthers on October 11.

The prize package also included travel expenses to Vancouver, a night at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, two Vancouver Canucks jerseys autographed by Team Power Smart leader Ryan Kesler and an opportunity to take in the post-game press conference.

One for the boys

It meant that Barry was able to take in a rare live game, and his two sons, Corey and Tyler, were able to share in the experience. Barry's wife, Deb, made a hockey mother's sacrifice so that Barry's nephew, Connor, could join them.

In the picture above, the jerseys autographed by Kesler are worn by Corey, on the left, and Tyler, on the right.

Barry says the trip to Vancouver was really all about the boys. The three young men are all hockey players themselves, and have been since they were children. "They just love to play," says Barry on the phone from his home.

Barry remembers fondly the days of Stan Smyl's Canucks, and says it was good to be a fan in those days. "It was easy," he says.

And although it hasn't always been easy, Barry has stuck with the team through good times and bad.

In the game against Florida, Daniel Sedin potted two goals to lead the Canucks to a 2-1 victory. It was the team's first win of the season, after an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings in the home opener two nights earlier.

But despite the slow start for the Canucks this year, Barry thinks there's reason for optimism. "They are playing better than the results would indicate," says Barry.

Saving energy, money at home

Barry only joined Team Power Smart in January 2010, but has already managed a 20 per cent drop in power consumption. He jokes that his best strategy was "kicking the kids out of the house", but says that doing the simple things, like turning lights off and replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFLs has made a huge impact.

The motivation to join Team Power Smart, says Barry, was the challenge of trying to save energy. It's not as easy when you're living in a rural area where there isn't much ambient glow from streetlights. Sometimes you need to leave a porch light on, he explains, which is where CFLs have been really useful.

The Postle homestead – Barry and Deb have been in the house for more than 20 years – sits on a 40-acre parcel of land. While he isn't actively farming now, Barry used to. And it's left him with something of an environmental conscience. "You get back what you put into it," he says.

Thanks for the memories

As much as he enjoyed the trip to Vancouver and a chance to see a Canucks game live, Barry admits the experience was really for his sons and nephew. "Everyone was very good to us," he says, adding that Corey, Tyler and Connor all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Especially the opportunity to see the action behind-the-scenes. The contest prize gave the four men VIP passes to take in the post-game press conference. Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault was the only briefing they saw, but Barry says they were more interested in seeing how things work in the bowels of Rogers Arena.

"The boys were amazed at how tall Burrows and Luongo were up close," says Barry.